During the early ‘90s, the members of the Memphis rock band Every Mother’s Nightmare were living out their boyhood dreams.
It was during this time, the band signed a major record deal with Arista Records. Shortly after, Every Mother’s Nightmare found themselves opening for other hard rock bands such as Cheap Trick and headlining in music festivals. Every Mother’s Nightmare began to tour and gradually amassed a legion of metal-head fans, filling in the stands and packing arenas.
Their self titled debut album sold nearly 400,000 copies and their second album entitled Wake Up Screaming, sold another 200,000 albums for the band. But, as the band seemed to make its mark in the music business, Every Mother’s Nightmare went through turbulent times. Even with the success for their first two albums, their record sales could not save them from their downward spiral.
Soon after, band members began leaving after disputes with their record label. At the same time, the genre of music that propelled them to super stardom was suddenly being replaced by the Seattle music movement known as grunge rock.
After spending several years away from the rock star spotlight, Every Mother’s Nightmare is back. The band, which now goes by EMN, recently released their third studio album entitled “Deeper Shade of Gray” February 9th.
The band kicked off the release of their latest album Saturday, February 9th by playing at Newby’s in Memphis.
Though EMN is not playing to the same number of crowds they were in the early ‘90s, Jeff Caughron, guitarist for the band, said he enjoys playing for friends and family in Memphis.
“It’s real important to come back and play here because Memphis is our home,” Caughron said.
Aside from playing at Newby’s last weekend, Caughron said they had the opportunity to play in front of a packed house at the Hard Rock Café on Beale Street. Although the local restaurant does not accommodate large crowds, Caughron said he enjoys playing in small venues.
“I like to play in smaller venues because it is more personal,” Caughron said. “The smaller shows tend to be more memorable. It just seems that we are on the same level with everyone and they are a lot more fun.”
With the latest release of their third album, EMN is again planning to tour.
Although Caughron admits the rigors of touring are tough, he said he still enjoys hitting the road with the band.
“It’s hard, but I love it,” Caughron said. “It’s fun because we get to go to different places and play in front of people who love your music, buy your albums and sing to your songs. It’s a rush and a great feeling.”
After being away from the music scene for several years, the band decided it was time to release their third record.
Caughron said that the best way to describe EMN’s newest album is a combination of hard rock sound accompanied by moody lyrics. Their album Deeper Shade of Gray according to Caughron was completed quickly, only taking approximately three weeks to finish.
“It took us one week to write, one week to record and one week to master copy the songs,” Caughron said.
While it only took three weeks to complete the album, Caughron accredits the speedy process to the way the band writes songs and the way the songs are recorded.
“Everyone in the band writes,” Caughron said. “Sometimes, I come in with a guitar riff and start playing and another band member comes in and adds to it and we build on that.
A lot of our songs were recorded in one take because we like that live feel. It captures what’s going on.”
EMN’s latest album Deeper Shade of Gray is now available in stores. For more information on the band, go to their official web site at www.emnonline.net or visit their MP3 site at www.mp3.com/emn.
